


Pour your Heart Out this Valentine's Day

by MochaLDSxM16



Series: Bederia Stories [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: DressedinPinkShipping, F/M, Fanfiction, Pokemon, Pokemon Shield Version, Pokemon Sword Version, Valentine's Day, bede x gloria, bederia, btyu, gloria x bede
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:01:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29421267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MochaLDSxM16/pseuds/MochaLDSxM16
Summary: Gloria is working hard as the day dedicated to reds, pinks, whites and all things love is only one sleep away. But will her hard work be enough for the one her heart longs for?These are the events that lead to the plot of “Valentine’s Day Chocolates”.
Relationships: Beet | Bede & Yuuri | Gloria, Beet | Bede/Yuuri | Gloria, Dande | Leon/Sonia, Hop/Mary | Marnie
Series: Bederia Stories [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2116434
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Pour your Heart Out this Valentine's Day

**Author's Note:**

> To all those reading this, I hope you enjoy this story! I also want to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day! Whether you are with your special someone, with family or friends or just celebrating "Singles' Awareness Day", hope you all have a great day and stay safe!

It’s late-night, but while most are, or at least should, be fast asleep, Gloria remains wide awake and very determined.

“Hmm?” She questions while eyeing the contents, currently, in her mixing bowl.

Taking a spoonful, she gives it a taste. 

“Hmmm?” She ponders the chocolatey taste, “Perfect!”

Satisfied, she takes her mixture to her prepared molds and carefully pours her chocolate mix into each one. After she places the chocolate filled molds into the fridge to cool. She repeats this process multiple times, making sure she has enough chocolate for all her friends.

With all her chocolates now cooling in the fridge, she takes a seat on the couch and lets out an exhausted huff.

Valentine’s Day, the day for reds, pinks, whites, sweets, lovers and unrequited love...But for Gloria, Valentine's Day is the day she celebrates all the people who are special in her life. She had already made orders for specialty chocolate for all the Gym Leaders and League Staff, even making a special order for her mother’s favourite chocolate-covered strawberries. All of which would be delivered by the end of tomorrow. For all her friends, however, she wanted to go above and beyond and decided to make each one of them hand made chocolates. But the task is proving to be more energy-draining than she initially thought.

She turns her head to the fridge and lets out a sigh. One of her pokemon hops on her lap, sensing her exhaustion. 

“Thanks for checking on me.” She says and strokes the Pokemon’s head, “I’m fine.”

About an hour later, she takes each mold out of the fridge, pops the chocolates out of them and places them in their respective gift boxes. After closing the lid of each one, she ties a card on each one with a distinctive ribbon. 

“...Yellow for Sonia, orange for Leon, magenta for Marnie, blue for Hop and...” Gloria stares at the last box of chocolates, opening it up, she checks the chocolates she made for Bede. 

The chocolates look just like the others, clean and good tasting, if she does say so herself. Perfect for all her friends...But will it be perfect for Bede and his ‘elite’ standards?

* _ And here I am, pouring my heart out to you... _ * A familiar voice says in her head.

She picks up the box of chocolates meant for Bede and gives them one more thorough look at them. She lets out a regretful sigh and dumps them into the waiting, open, mouth of her mother’s Munchlax before collecting the ingredients to make more chocolate.

More failed attempts and more waisted chocolate in Munchlax’s stomach later and Gloria is still not satisfied with the chocolates she wants to make for Bede.

“NO!” She yells out loud and slams her fists onto the countertop, “None of these are good enough! Not for someone with such high standards! He’ll just think these are silly and my feelings will never get across to him!”

Taking a deep breath, she lets out another sigh before pulling out her phone and scrolls down Wyndon Stadium’s list of events. She soon eyes one event scheduled for tomorrow and clicks on it.

**_February 14th at 2:30pm: Valentine’s Day Exhibition Match!_ **

**_Find out who Galar’s top 2 Hottest Male Gym Leaders, from Poke Weekly Magazine, are as they duke it out in this Valentine’s Day Showdown! You don’t want to miss it!_ **

Even though it’s not specified who is battling, Gloria knows a certain someone will be one of the two, she is sure. How could he not be? He may not realize it, but his charms can stir up any girl, her included. 

Her cheeks dawn a rosy hue as she looks back at some memories of her Gym Challenge.

She remembers walking into Motostoke Stadium, with Hop, for the first time. She couldn’t believe how big it actually was, much bigger and worlds apart from anything she’s ever seen in Postwick and Wedgehurst. As she and Hop walk over to the reception desk to sign up, her wide gaze narrows to the person walking away from the desk, most likely having already registered. He eyes Hop, then her for a second before brushing past them without hesitation. 

Something about that brief second he looked at her, sent shivers down her spine. It’s as if that piercing, violet, stare was looking right into her soul, freezing her entire being in its tracks. She might have been stuck like that if Hop hadn’t called out to her.

When she and Hop first stepped onto the pitch, her eyes and mouth widen as she tries her best to take in the grandness of the stadium and the loud cheers of the crowds.

She soon feels a presence watching her. She first turns to Hop, but he’s waving to the crowds and not looking at her. She then turns to the opposite direction and sees that same guy from before and that same piercing, violet, stare looking at her. She can see a look of disdain with a hint of amusement in his expression as he looks at her.

Realizing she’s staring at him way too long, she looks away. Though that piercing, violet, stare remains burned into her memory.

After that encounter, she couldn’t help but wonder. Wonder about him and what kind of person he really is. It seems like with every encounter she has with Bede, as she soon found out, ends with her wondering even more about him.

In Galar Mine No.1, he’s acting all pompous, flaunting his status as the trainer Rose, Chairman of the League, endorsed. Yet in Hulbury, he seems to light up after getting praise from Rose, there’s conviction in his voice as he promised Rose that he wouldn’t let him down. 

After that, he seemed to get darker and darker, belittling her every time they battled, even after she won. Not even Hop was safe from Bede’s snide remarks, even going so far as to belittle not only him, but his brother, and Champion at the time, Leon after beating him in battle. 

She really didn’t like seeing this side of him, but she wanted to know more. More about him and why he behaves in such ways. Why? In truth, she doesn’t really know why, she just wanted to know. So she tried her best to, continually, be friendly with him. 

But that might have proven to be a mistake. That day she encountered him at Stow-On-Side, it left her shaken. The look of blind determination as he ordered Rose’s Coperajah to destroy the mural. The look of rage when she beat him in the battle that followed...and the look of anguish when Rose told him he was no longer worthy of competing in the Gym Challenge and promptly revoked his endorsement. As Bede walked away with the League Staff, she couldn’t help but think she just pushed things too far.

The next time she encountered Bede, everything seemed to fly by in a flash. One minute he’s speaking about his plans to ask(beg) Rose to let him rejoin the Gym Challenge. The next minute he’s being ambushed by Opal, of all people, and hears mumbles of pink and how she could help him, how she moved that fast was beyond her. Before she could say anything, Opal bids her farewell and walks away with Bede in tow.

After that, she heard nothing about him and his whereabouts, not on TV, not in conversation, not even in gossip, nevermind any direct contact. It’s as if Opal had made him magically disappear. Realistically, that was definitely not the case, but it still felt that way. She couldn’t help but feel like all this is her fault, that if she didn’t but in, then maybe Bede would be doing better. But knowing she has a Gym Challenge to complete and, hopefully, a Championship to win, she had to push all the doubts and worries aside.

That’s why when he interrupted the Champion’s Tournament, clad in his new Fairy Type ensemble, and promptly challenged her to a battle, putting his entire career as a trainer on the line, took her off guard. 

She knew how much battling means to him and believes every aspiring trainer deserves to be given the opportunity to succeed. In truth though, she really enjoys battling him. He constantly keeps her on her toes with his strong team and clever strategies. He’s an amazing rival, one of the select few that can get her all fired up and more determined to win.

But to think this just might be her last battle with him, makes her even more hesitant to accept his challenge. Of course, she wants to battle him, but she doesn’t want to be the reason he retires completely from battling. Especially after all the trouble she’s caused him already.

But what he declares next really threw her for a loop.

Here he is, letting every emotion, he has ever felt, be known, not only to her, but to everyone watching as well. His anger towards Oleana for using him. His anguish when Rose, basically, disowned him. His irritation when he was dragged away by Opal and proceeded to be bombarded with pink, quizzes and Fairy Type Pokemon. And especially his frustration that he’s letting himself pour his heart out to her.

Completely moved by his declaration, she’s unable to come up with a reply. Though, she wouldn’t need one as Leon accepts Bede’s offer. She can see a fire being lit in his eyes before turning around to take his place on the battlefield. That fire lights her determination to fight him. If he’s going to get her this fired up to battle, she’ll give him a fight he’ll never forget.

The sound of buzzing pulls her out of her thoughts. Picking up her phone and dismissing the alarm, she opens up a rare picture of her and Bede. This one is special to her because it was taken on the day she became Champion, he went out of his way to congratulate her, personally, on her victory. This is one of the only pictures where there’s a hint of genuineness in his smile.

With renewed determination, she stretches and begins her next batch of chocolates.

If Bede was able to pour his heart out that day he interrupted the Champion’s Tournament so that all of Galar knew the kind of person he truly is, then she can pour her heart out into these chocolates, so that her feelings can get across to him.

After what seems like ages, she’s finally satisfied with the chocolates she’s made. Especially after having to redo the drawing of Hatterene on each one. Carefully, she places each one in the box before closing it and tying the card on it with a white ribbon. Completely exhausted from working, she collapses onto the countertop and falls asleep.

~A couple of hours later~

Gloria is awoken by something gnawing on her foot. She sits up, after letting out a yawn and stretching, she looks around, realizing she must have fallen asleep after finishing her chocolates. She then looks down to her feet and sees one of her Pokemon gnawing on her foot. 

“Mmmm, morning Ace...” She says and picks him up, “Happy Valentine’s Day!” She adds groggily.

She picks up her phone and looks at the time, 8:00am.

“Well...” She straightens herself up and stretches again, “Better feed you guys.”

After feeding her Pokemon, and herself, breakfast, she takes a quick shower then puts on her signature outfit.

Convinced she’s ready, she heads to her bedroom entrance. But stops herself in front of her mirror and takes one more good look at the grey parka, pink shirt-dress, brown boots and green beret that makes up her outfit.

This is her go-to outfit on days where she’s not needed as Champion, it’s the same attire she wore when traversing all of Galar for her Gym Challenge those years ago. This outfit has endured thick and thin during her travels and has the frayed areas and worn-out spots to prove it. But Bede has seen her in this more times than she can count and yet every time she sees him, he always dresses well, even in his Fairy Type Uniform, he still looks clean and professional.

* _ And here I am, pouring my heart out to you... _ *

She takes one more look at herself in the mirror before shaking her head. 

“Not good enough!” She says out loud.

After what seems like hours, she’s more satisfied with what she’s wearing, ditching her usual, worn-out and messy, attire for a much more pink and cleaner one. She brushes the wrinkles out of her blouse, pleated skirt and tights and readjusts her pink beret before looking at herself in the mirror once more. She lets out a huff of satisfaction and finally exits her room.

Picking up her boxes of chocolate, putting a certain box in her black leather purse, she slips on her ballet-flats and exits her house. She walks down the dirt road from Postwick all the way to Wedgehurst and the Lab.

“Happy Valentine's Day!” She calls out once she enters the Lab.

“Happy Valentine’s Day!” Sonia and Leon call back to her from the kitchen.

“Leon?” She questions as she walks over to the kitchen, “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Uhh...Well I...I thought I’d help Sonia at the lab since Hop is out fishing with Marnie at the lake by Sonia’s place.” Leon spits out trying to hide his blush, earning a giggle from Sonia.

Gloria giggles, “Sure Leon,” she says and grabs the boxes tied with a yellow ribbon and with an orange ribbon and hands them to Sonia and Leon respectively, “Happy Valentine’s Day you two!”

“Did you make these for us?!” Sonia asks.

“Of course! You are my friends after all and I wanted to celebrate that!” Gloria replies.

“Thank you Gloria!” Sonia cries out and pulls Gloria into a tight hug.

“Yeah! Thank you so much Gloria!” Leon says and joins the hug.

“You’re welcome!” Gloria muffles in the middle of the hug. “Can’t...Breath...” She struggles to say.

“Oops!” Sonia and Leon say and immediately let her go. 

“Phew!” Gloria says relieved after getting out a huff of air.

“By the way Gloria,” Sonia mentions, looking at what she’s wearing, “You look absolutely adorable in pink!”

Gloria looks away embarrassed, “T-thanks Sonia...I thought I’d wear pink because it’s Valentines Day.”

“Speaking of, are you going to Wyndon Stadium to watch the Exhibition Match today?” Leon asks.

“I plan to after I deliver the rest of these chocolates.” 

“I see. In that case, would you like to announce one of the competitors?”

“Why only one?”

“Well...Poke Weekly Magazine gave me the results for the voting and...Well, I think we all know that Raihan would get the most votes.”

Sonia giggles, “Typical Raihan! All those selfies of his are sure to garner such a large fanbase.”

“Indeed!” Leon chuckles at Sonia’s comment.

“So who got the second most votes?” Gloria asks.

“Well...He’s only behind by one vote...”

“Only one vote?! That’s amazing!” Sonia adds.

Gloria ponders for a minute, “It’s Bede...isn’t it?”

“Yeah!” Leon replies a bit surprised, “How did you know?”

Gloria giggles, bringing the remaining boxes of chocolates up to her face to hide the rosy blush that she knows is on her cheeks. “Lucky guess.”

“I see…” Leon replies, “...I was thinking that because Raihan is my strongest rival, I’d introduce him and because Bede is one of yours, you could introduce him.” 

“Hmm...ok sound like fun!”

“Perfect! Thanks Gloria!”

“Anytime Leon!...I should probably get going. I still have chocolates to deliver and I don’t want to be late for the Exhibition Match!” 

“Of course!” Sonia says, “You be careful out there and have a great Valentine’s Day!”

“Agreed, and I’ll see you later. Meet me at the Wyndon stadium lobby at 1:30pm so we can prepare.”

“Right! Bye guys!” She says and walks over to the door and opens it, “By the way...” She adds and turns to face them, “Enjoy your Valentine’s Day Lovebirds!” She says, quickly rushes out the door and closes it behind her. 

She giggles at the sound of Sonia’s laughter and Leon’s groaning from behind the closed door before making her way to the lake by Sonia’s house.

There she sees Hop fishing and Marnie peacefully resting on his shoulder. But she’s hesitant to call out to them. They look so peaceful and she doesn’t want to ruin their ‘date’.

As if one cue, Marnie turns around and sees her.

“Hey, Gloria!” Marnie calls out.

Hop soon turns around and sees Gloria, “Gloria?! What are you doing here?”

“Ahh...well...” Gloria struggles to say before handing Hop and Marnie their Valentine’s Day Chocolates. “Happy Valentine's Day!”

“Are these actually for us?” Hop asks.

“Y-yup…” Gloria struggles to get out, “I was at the Lab earlier and Leon told me you were here...I didn’t mean to-” 

“You keep worryin’ too much Gloria! It’s fine!” Marnie says and gives Gloria a reassuring hug “Thank you for the chocolates!”

“I agree with Marnie! And thanks for the chocolates!” Hop adds and gives her a side hug before he eyes her attire, “By the way...what are you wearing so much pink? Not that it looks bad on you or anything, it’s just so different from what you usually wear...” Hop ponders before a sly smile dawns his face, “Could it be that you’re trying to impress a certain Gym Leader who wears pink?”

Gloria’s cheeks instantly dawn a rosy hue, “O-of course not!...Leon wants me to make an appearance at today’s Exhibition Match...so I thought I’d wear pink because it’s Valentine’s Day.”

“If you say so Glo!” Hop says, that same sly smile remains on his face.

“A-anyway...I’d better get going...you guys have a great Valentine's Day!” Gloria quickly says and rushes off.

She can hear both Hop and Marnie laugh as she runs.

“Happy Valentine’s Day Gloria!” They both call out to her.

In no time she’s off the Sky Taxi in Wyndon and on her way to the Stadium. But with almost an hour and a half before she’s supposed to meet Leon, 12:00pm, she makes a detour to the shopping district. 

There she grabs a quick lunch at the Battle Cafe before walking past some shops. 

She stops at a large glass window and takes a good look at herself in its reflection. She nods in approval at the upgrade she made to her attire. But her satisfied expression falters when she sees her hair, which has grown far past her shoulders since her Gym Challenge days.

In the past, she wouldn’t give too much attention to her hair. Just wash it when it got dirty, brush it out when it got tangled and tie it up if it got in the way. Even after she became Champion, she’d keep her hair down or haphazardly tie it up.

But Bede, he’d always keep his hair looking clean and in place, not even a stray strand of hair was at his mercy. Even after his hair got messy from battles or otherwise, he’d always straighten it out, making sure he always looked good.

* _ And here I am, pouring my heart out to you... _ *

Gloria lets out a sigh and looks up to see something red, white and blue spinning above her. She takes a step back and sees the sign above the window, she has been staring at the window of the Hair Salon of all places.

With a huff of determination, she enters the salon.

About an hour, of painful hair pulling, iron burning and hair spraying, later, she walks out of the salon and looks at her reflection on the window. Now more satisfied with her appearance, from her pink attire to the side-sweep waves her hair is in, she confidently makes her way to Wyndon Stadium.

There, she meets up with Leon and he leads her to the VIP Booth. 

“Ok Gloria, this is how this should work. We both walk up to the center of the pitch, from opposite sides of the stadium. We then do our usual rounds, introduce ourselves, welcome everyone to the event and thank them all for coming live or tuning in on TV. After that, I’ll introduce Raihan as the one with the top votes, then he’ll walk onto the pitch. Then you introduce Bede as the one with the 2nd most votes, and he’ll come up. We then thank them for coming before letting the ref take over.” Leon says.

“Sounds easy enough Leon.”

“Oh yeah, I want to surprise them. So I have a bit of a mini speech about Raihan as my biggest rival. Do you think you can do that for Bede?”

She giggles, “I think I can come up with something on the fly.”

“Perfect!” Leon looks at the time, 2:00pm, 30 minutes before the match, “Ok, we should head to our respective spots so we can make our entrance, I’ll text you when it’s time to head onto the pitch...Oh yeah, head to the entrance by the locker room where Raihan is. We don't want to ruin the surprise.” 

“Right!”

“See you soon!” Leon says before leaving the booth.

Leaving her bag on one of the chairs, she makes her way out of the booth and to the entrance by the locker room where Raihan is waiting. 

“Gloria!” Raihan calls out when he exits the locker room, “I didn’t know you’d be here!” he adds and walks over to her.

“Leon asked me to come and co-host the exhibition match since I was already coming here to watch it anyway.”

“That Leon, always trying to make these things a show!”

Gloria giggles, “By the way, congrats on getting the most votes from Poke Weekly Magazine!”

“Of Course! My selfies will always win over the fans!” Raihan says proudly and brings his phone up, “Smile! I need a picture for social media!”

Gloria gives a sweet smile as Riahan takes the shot.

“Thanks Champ!” Raihan says and works on posting it.

“No problem!”

“By the way,” Raihan says and looks up at her, “Looking good with the pink! I would have worn something more fitting for Valentine’s Day myself, but that doesn't go well with my Gym Gear or with the selfies.”

“Thanks Raihan! I thought I’d-” Gloria is about to say when her phone buzzes.

**_Leon: Get ready, we got 15 minutes._ **

**_Gloria: Ok Leon!_ **

“Well I’d better go on standby,” Gloria says and heads over to the entrance leading to the pitch, “See you in a bit and good luck Raihan!”

Raihan smirks, “I don’t need luck, I know I’ll win!” 

Gloria giggles, “If you say so,” she says and walks up to the entrance.

Leaning against its wall, she lets out a breath. With a bit of time before the match, she let her mind wander.

She knows Bede is here and she intends to invite him to afternoon tea after the match, give him her chocolates and then confess... But how is she going to confess her feelings to him? Should she play it cool and use a smooth pick-up line? Should she be cute and innocently say it? Or should she be blunt and say it out of the blue?

The buzzing of her phone pulls her out of her thoughts.

**_Leon: Go time!_ **

She lets out another deep breath, “let’s do this!” She says before walking out onto the pitch.

The crowd roars as she and Leon wave to all the attendees while walking to the center of the pitch.

“People of Galar!” Leon calls out.

“We’d like to welcome you to today's main event!” Gloria adds.

The crowd cheers loudly.

“Hello everyone! You all know me as Leon, Chairman of the League!”

“And it probably goes without saying, but hello to you all! I’m Galar’s reigning Champion Gloria!”

The crowd cheers loudly again.

“It’s the event you’ve all been waiting for!” 

“You voted and Poke Weekly Magazine has counted!”

“Now you’ll find out who will be duking it out in this Valentine’s Day showdown!” Leon and Gloria say together.

The crowd cheers even louder.

“But before we get into it, all of us in the League would like to wish you all a Happy Valentine’s Day!” Leon adds.

“Whether you are with your special someone, with family or friends or just by yourself and whether you are here in Wyndon Stadium or watching live from a screen. We’d like to thank you all for choosing to watch this event!” Gloria adds.

“Now without further delay, let us introduce the male Gym Leaders who you voted to be Galar’s Hottest!...To my left, we have the Gym Leader who got the most votes! A constant presence on social media with all his selfies who harnesses the ever-changing powers of the weather in his battles! He is Hammerlock's Gym Leader and the one I call my strongest rival! May I introduce to you, the tamer of Dragons, Raihan!” Leon announces out loud.

The crowd cheers loudly as Raihan walks up to the middle of the pitch, he waves to the crowd with his phone in his hand.

“Always trying to make this a show, eh Leon?” Raihan says as soon as he meets Leon and Gloria.

“Come on Raihan! This is going to be fun!” Gloria adds excitedly. “Now! To my right, we have the Gym Leader who got the second most votes, one vote behind Raihan in fact!” Gloria announces out loud as well.

The crowd collectively gasps at that comment.

Gloria giggles at the sudden gasp, “A young man from humble beginnings, he has made his mark in the Champion’s Cup 2 years ago! The one Opal hand-picked to be her successor, he executes a battle style that is both tough and refined! He is Ballonlea’s Gym Leader and one of my strongest rivals! It’s my honor to introduce you all to the Gym Leader with the Fairy-Esque charms, Bede!” Gloria announces with an extra hint of enthusiasm.

The crowd erupts into loud cheers, many of which are female, as Bede confidently strides up to the middle of the pitch.

“It’s no wonder you were only one vote behind Raihan in the rankings! The ladies seem to love your ‘Fairy-Esque charms’,” Leon teases when Bede reaches them.

“N-naturally!” Bede stumbles to say and runs his fingers through his hair, earning another loud cheer from the ladies in the audience. 

Gloria giggles from that little stumble Bede made in his voice * _ Still not used to the attention I see? _ * she says to herself. 

“Gloria and I would like to welcome you both to today’s Valentine’s Day Exhibition Match!”

“We’d also like to thank you both for coming out today to compete in this match!”

“Thanks!” Raihan says.

“Thank you,” Bede says.

“Now with both of you here, Let’s get this match started!”

“Best of luck to both of you! And to all those in the stands or watching live from the screens, we hope you all have a Champion Time!” Gloria says as she raises her fist in the air while Leon does his signature pose. 

Fireworks shoot up and around all of them and the crowd cheers loudly as Leon and Gloria leave the pitch.

When the dust settles, a referee is at his post and Leon and Gloria are sitting comfortably in their VIP Booth.

“Gym Leaders! Please take your places!” The ref calls out.

Raihan and Bede make their way to their respective positions.

“This will be a 5 on 5 single battle and both sides are allowed to switch their Pokemon at any time. The battle will be over when all 5 pokemon from either side can no longer continue. Now, will both competitors ready their first Pokemon.”

Bede pulls out his first Pokeball and takes a good look at it before turning his head upward to eye Gloria before turning back to face Raihan.

Gloria stumbles back from that quick gesture. Her cheeks instantly dawn a bright rosy hue as her heart starts to beat faster.

“Alright! Battle Begin!” The ref calls out.

“Mawile! Come on out!”

“Torkoal! Let’s Go!”

Moves are called out at a rapid pace, explosions after explosions rock the stadium, but Gloria can barely focus on the battle. That look Bede gave her, before the battle, remains imprinted in her memory. That look was unlike any she has seen before, it still had that same smug, charm she’s used to. But there was something else too, a hint of fondness. It was as if that look is only reserved for her and no one else. 

Her heart skips a beat at the thought of something that only the two of them share.

Out of her purse, she pulls out the box of chocolates she made especially for him and clutches tightly over her rapidly beating heart.

“Is that for Bede?” Leon asks.

“Mmm hmm,” She blissfully mumbles.

Leon giggles at her dreamy state. 

“You have feelings for him huh?”

Gloria stumbles from the comment, almost dropping her box of chocolates, “I...umm...I...” She tries to say as her cheeks turn rosier.

“A word of advice if you plan to tell him. Relax, be brave and be you. You’re the one confessing, not someone else, so tell him a way that best reflects who you are. That way, you’re more genuine in your confession and the feelings you have for him will be true to you and true to what’s in your heart...This worked for me and it worked for Hop as well.” 

Gloria looks at Leon in awe at the advice he’d given her.

* _ And here I am, pouring my heart out to you... _ *

Gloria lets out a held breath, then looks at the box of chocolates clutched in her hands, “Alright!” she says out loud, puts the chocolates back in her purse and looks up to eye Bede in the midst of battle. 

“Now it's my turn! This time, I’ll be the one to pour my heart out to you!” She says out loud with extra determination in her voice, earning a chuckle from Leon.

_ “If you truly pour your heart out into what you believe in, even if it makes you vulnerable, amazing things can and will happen.” -Emma Watson _


End file.
